Four points: What to do with Alex Rance, interstate raiders, Demons and Saints

Damien Hardwick has been praised this season for the changes he has made personally and the changes he has overseen in the Tigers' football department. This time last year, Hardwick was almost out the door, but he has emerged as one of the more astute minds of the competition, having embraced, among other things, the need for quicker ball movement and pressure intensity inside 50.

However, as the home-and-away season nears its intriguing finish, he faces a key debate, which could ultimately shape how deep a finals run the Tigers make.

AFL plays of round 21

It may seem odd for triple All-Australian defender Alex Rance to be at the centre of this, but the manner in which the Cats on Saturday denied Rance from doing what he does best – take intercept marks, help teammates and rebound – was a worry. A big worry.

It prompted former Tigers forward Nathan Brown to say that on Saturday Hardwick had been outfoxed by Chris Scott, the latter voted by his peers recently as the hardest to coach against (along with Port's Ken Hinkley).

Outplayed: Alex Rance and Harry Taylor. Photo: AAP

Hardwick admitted Rance had been beaten by Harry Taylor, who would boot four goals, have a hand in several more and claim six marks – on a day when the Cats were without their primary key tall, Tom Hawkins.

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He said Rance had been in excellent touch in recent weeks and even champions had an off day. That's true. But the manner in which it was allowed to happen should be a red flag. That the Tigers' past two defeats – against St Kilda in round 16 and now the Cats – have come with each opponent clearly having the better of Rance is a concern for their September hopes.

For the Saints, it was Nick Riewoldt who was given more of a defensive role. He took Rance out of the play (he would have only 11 touches) while Riewoldt would finish with three goals. It was hailed as one of the best tactical moves of the season.

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The Cats, though, looked to play through Taylor at every opportunity and attempt to exploit Rance in what is perceived to be his greatest weakness – dealing with one-on-one, jostling marking contests. As Wayne Carey noted, "you can exploit him" in this area.

"When he can run and jump at it, he is fine ... he does everything for everyone. Often you want to isolate him but he is so smart and runs off and affects other contests," Carey said.

Taylor (now with 20 goals in a season for the first time) was even prepared to go deep to full-forward to make Rance as uncomfortable as possible. This meant he could not lay off and help teammates. The Tigers had been conceding a league-low 77.5 points per game heading to Simonds Stadium. With Rance blocked, it was no surprise the Cats slightly edged this.

Taylor's body work in at least four marking duels was superb, and would eventually lead to Rance being sent forward in the final term when the Tigers were desperate for goals. The veteran Cat later claimed he had the advantage of also knowing how Rance would think because he, too, continues to be a defender at heart.

The Tigers must now better prepare contingency plans, particularly for the cauldron of September when the pressure is at its greatest. Another "off" day from Rance could lead to another quick finals exit. Should Rance have been switched on to another forward earlier? Perhaps switched to more of a wing role where he could push back and intercept?

Rance would probably have started on Hawkins had the latter not been suspended. How will that impact on the Cats' and Tigers' plans should they meet in September? Hardwick said Rance had contributed to two goals when sent forward.

Scott was asked after the match by Fairfax Media how important it was to isolate Rance.

"If we are good enough, I suspect we will play Richmond again, so I don't want to buy into that too much. I have an opinion that I'll keep to myself but the part I won't keep to myself is that he might be close to the best defender of a generation," he said.

"Generally, and Matthew Scarlett went through this to an extent, generally when the opposition tries something different against you, those champions find a way to get past it. I suspect with some trepidation that that will happen in this case as well."

What we do hope is that Scott is right and the two clubs meet again next month. The spat over whether Saturday's clash should have shifted to the MCG boiled over when Hardwick, frustrated by the defeat, claimed the umpires had been influenced by the fervent local support. Scott was quick to say how important it was for his club that the fixture had remained as is.

The on-field match ups are a promoter's dream – led by Dustin Martin v Patrick Dangerfield – and with Rance keen to atone, let's hope the finals cards fall that way.

TACKLING THE PROBLEM IN THE RIGHT MANNER

If there was any confusion over the legality of tackling and pinning the arms of an opponent, it surely has been cleared up.

Patrick Dangerfield has been stripped of the right to win the Brownlow Medal because of such a tackle on Matthew Kreuzer, Brodie Grundy was suspended for a fortnight, despite actually winning a free kick, for his tackle on Ben Brown, and this round, Essendon's Ben Howlett gave away a free kick for his tackle on Adelaide's Luke Brown.

Howlett wasn't reported after he appeared to drive Brown's head into the turf and, fortunately, the Crow was not concussed or hurt – unlike Brown and Kreuzer. And that's arguably the key difference here. While the match review panel will analyse it, that there was no injury means it probably would be hard to slap a charge on Howlett.

Howlett was heard arguing his case to umpire Jeff Dalgleish, with the latter responding that he understood the player's argument but he was "obliged" to pay a free kick.

As he would have been taught since his junior days, players are encouraged to pin the arms when tackling. But with the head deemed sacrosanct, and players obliged to have a duty of care towards each other, it essentially means a tackler must now release the arms or roll his opponent over or risk causing injury – and being handed a suspension.

One focus of the MRP on Monday will be Toby Greene, with the Greater Western Sydney star cited for rough conduct, having raised his foot with studs up into the face of Luke Dahlhaus on Friday night. The Western Bulldog was left bloodied and required staples on the left side of his chin.

The boot to the head incident between Toby Greene and Luke Dahlhaus during Friday night's match. Photo: Fox Sports

Greene was protecting his space, as is allowed in a marking contest, but this was in general play, having accepted a handball. Will this matter? If it's deemed an unreasonable action, it will be graded either careless or intentional. He may need a "low impact" call to avoid suspension. It certainly warrants a fine. Greene is a match winner but has a knack of finding trouble. It has to stop.

INTERSTATE RAIDERS

It's difficult to not see the premiership heading interstate this year, if the statements made by the Adelaide Crows, Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney in recent weeks are any guide.

The Swans have crunched Geelong at their Simonds Stadium fortress and, on Saturday, eviscerated the Fremantle Dockers in a 104-point win that improved their percentage by more than 6 per cent. Is John Longmire, having rebounded from a 0-6 start to win 12 of the next 14, coach of the year? The Swans now face arguably the most imposing challenge in the game – the Crows in Adelaide in a Friday-night blockbuster – remarkably with a top-four spot on the line.

The Crows, meanwhile, thumped the Power and reinforced on Saturday night why the Bombers, at best, are an eighth-placed side (Carlton had all but exposed how to tame their high-octane style last week). It's now time to scrap the chat that the Giants had been under-achieving, for they have emerged from their mid-season slump ready to put the "Ferrari" into top gear. They ooze class through each chain of possession and have a fit Brett Deledio providing dash and veteran nous. The former Tiger shapes as one of the feel-good stories of September, having never enjoyed a deep finals run at Richmond.

Brett Deledio is providing dash. Photo: AAP

Chris Scott says so tight is the season that judging opponents on their ladder positions is a folly. But, for us in the outer, that's what we do, and there is much to look forward to this week.

The Power and Dogs meet at the league's newest home-and-away venue, Eureka Stadium, in Ballarat, while the flaky West Coast Eagles (only 45 tackles against the Blues, of which Matt Priddis had 10) have plenty on the line against the Giants. The Cats, with Mitch Duncan returning from suspension, will hope to erase memories of a 29-point loss to the Magpies in round six. And keep an eye on Brisbane against the Demons, for the Lions have won four of their past 10 games. One former Lions player claims coach Chris Fagan is the best thing to have happened to the club in a decade.

MELBOURNE HOPES TO DEE-LIVER ON BLUEPRINT

There have been many blueprints done by club bosses in the past decade – some successful, many not. Under chief executive Peter Jackson, the Demons in 2015 unveiled an "aspiration" to play in last year's finals but fell two games short. A year on, they are in the top eight and a September berth for the first time since 2006 is there for the taking. There is still work to be done, against Brisbane and Collingwood, but the Demons showed a resilience against St Kilda on Sunday that had been questionable in recent weeks.

"Aspirations": Peter Jackson. Photo: Joe Armao

In what effectively was a mini-elimination final, both teams fumbled early but the Demons would soon bound to a 40-point lead. When that was slashed to four in the final term, the character of the side was on show. Michael Hibberd and Jordan Lewis, recruited as much for their skills as leadership, showed acts of courage in defence, while Mitch Hannan, quiet until that point, provided back-to-back goals – the sort of burst unheralded players need to provide in big games. Kudos also goes to the all-round game of big man Cam Pederson.

It was great to see Angus Brayshaw back, having not played a senior match since round two because of concussion. He had a potentially nasty hit early but suffered no ill consequences. "Everything that I have waited for has come true today," Brayshaw said.

The same could not be said for the Saints, who ventured to the MCG for the first time this season – and may not want to return in a hurry. They now appear set to miss the finals for a sixth straight season. Their blueprint, unveiled in 2014, was to return to the top four by 2018. That's still a possibility, particularly as they are cashed up and ready for what shapes as a busy off-season. Coach Alan Richardson will also hope for a contract extension. In the meantime, it will be time to say goodbye to Nick Riewoldt and, most likely, Leigh Montagna.